Ignatian Retreat: December 14-19, 2014

This five-day silent retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola is offered for Santa Clara undergraduate and graduate students. The retreat begins on the Sunday night after fall quarter finals and ends the following Friday afternoon.

Sign-ups

To sign up for the Ignatian Retreat, complete the online form first and then submit your payment in Campus Ministry to reserve your spot.

Spaces for the Ignatian Retreat are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis by submitting the form above AND a $200 payment in Campus Ministry (cash, check made payable to "SCU Campus Ministry," or flex). Your spot for the retreat is not reserved until you have submitted your payment.

Please note: This retreat is targeted for undergraduate and graduate students; alumni, staff and faculty are welcome to attend if space is available. Priority registration for students will take place during the month of October. If you are not a student, submit the form now and you will be contacted Monday, November 4 to confirm whether there is space available for you to attend.

Cost

The cost of the Ignatian Retreat is greatly subsidized for the sake of students, who are asked to pay $200 for their retreat. For those students who desire to attend this retreat but have a financial hardship, scholarships are available. The cost for non-students (alumni, faculty, staff) who attend the retreat on a space-available basis is $300, though those with the means to pay the full cost of the retreat are encouraged to do so.

The Ignatian Directed Retreat

In his late twenties, Ignatius of Loyola was lost. His father and mother were dead, the love of his life was unavailable to him, he had no job, no prospects, and he had been so critically injured in a battle that one leg was all but ruined. Laid up in bed for months in his family manor, he had little to do but brood about his future. He discovered that when he fantasized about worldly things the feelings stirred up were fleeting and superficial, but when he dreamed of daring great things for God there was a consolation and serenity that lingered for a long time.

Ignatius would later call that method of choosing a way of life a "discernment of spirits." Obedient to his own discernment, he left his home as soon as he could walk again. For nearly a year, he lived in silence as a hermit in a cave, reflecting on biblical scenes from the life of Christ and learning through trial and error what was helpful to the practice of his faith and what was harmful and excessive. His jotted notes about his intimate encounters with the Trinity in prayer would later become his Spiritual Exercises, a systematic and psychologically astute series of meditations by which other Christians could develop a deeper relationship with God and thereby get in touch with the innermost, truest parts of themselves.

We invite Christians of all denominations to share in this rich and exciting experience by committing to a five-day, silent retreat with The Spiritual Exercises. You will be transformed by this experience, for the Ignatian Retreat offers a dynamic experience of prayerful discernment which results in hope and grounding for those who struggle in an ever-changing world to find a higher meaning and purpose in their lives.

The Santa Clara Ignatian Retreat

Santa Clara University offers a five-day version of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius targeted for undergraduate and graduate students. From Sunday evening to Friday around noon, retreatants will enter into a contemplative silence. In addition to the culture of silence and extended periods of private reflection, each day also includes presentations on the spiritual exercises, a liturgy, communal gatherings for prayer, and a conversation with a spiritual director.

Who is eligible?

The retreat has been designed preferably for undergraduate students at the junior and senior level and graduate students. After the period of time for priority registration for students is complete, university alumni, faculty, and staff may attend on a space-available basis.